Author Topic: Anyone else totally lose it when you're unexpectedly asked to pay more?  (Read 4914 times)

blackomen

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Long story short, wife has surgery to the north of $10,000 (too lazy to dig up the post but search the one i had on pregnancy and IVF.) Doctor tells me that this covers everything for now and I pay it.

Then the lab doing the surgery calls me and demands another $500 for anasthesia, and apparently, the "everything" that the doctor says is covered doesn't include this.

Anyone else get volcanically pissed with unexpected expenses like this, even if it pales in comparison to the original expense? They could have asked for even just an extra $20 above what i had thought was the total amount and I'd be hysterically fuming.

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Schaefer Light

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Absolutely.  I walked out of a doctor's appointment in November thinking my copay covered everything, and then I got a $260 bill from the insurance company for the same visit.  I'm still pissed off about it.  This type of thing seems to happen more with healthcare than any other industry.

bacchi

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I just had a provider upcode a procedure and claim that I owe them 50% more.

I'm not pissed but more resigned that this is how it goes. I also try to think of it as a game. They make up shit and I correct them; they delay and I follow up relentlessly, etc.


wenchsenior

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I just had a provider upcode a procedure and claim that I owe them 50% more.

I'm not pissed but more resigned that this is how it goes. I also try to think of it as a game. They make up shit and I correct them; they delay and I follow up relentlessly, etc.

I just had the opposite thing happened. Just had a surgical procedure that I assumed would cost about 10-15K, and that I would be covering 300-500 of it.  Just got the insurance paper work and the insurance allowed ~$1500 of about a 12K total charge, of which I supposedly will pay 0$.  This seems like it could be 'corrected' later, so I'm not assuming I'm in the clear yet....

ketchup

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It drives me up a wall.  In any context.  Advertised-as-$25 oil change is really $35 because of disposal fees and other nonsense?  Fuck off.  DirecTV service advertised as $29/mo "including up to 4 receivers" really means an extra $7/mo for each box anyway (including the first one)? Fuck off.

Davnasty

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"That'll be $7.51 sir"

"But the price tag said $6.99?"

"Well the total includes sales t..."

"Fuck off."

Maybe this wasn't what OP was referring to but seriously, I wish taxes were included in the advertised price.

Eric

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Apparently you lost it enough to create 14 (!) duplicate threads!  Now that is losing it!  lol

HBFIRE

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Apparently you lost it enough to create 14 (!) duplicate threads!  Now that is losing it!  lol

He really wanted to make sure that post got through!

Cranky

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I just had a provider upcode a procedure and claim that I owe them 50% more.

I'm not pissed but more resigned that this is how it goes. I also try to think of it as a game. They make up shit and I correct them; they delay and I follow up relentlessly, etc.

I just had the opposite thing happened. Just had a surgical procedure that I assumed would cost about 10-15K, and that I would be covering 300-500 of it.  Just got the insurance paper work and the insurance allowed ~$1500 of about a 12K total charge, of which I supposedly will pay 0$.  This seems like it could be 'corrected' later, so I'm not assuming I'm in the clear yet....

Yes, and the hospital is “your payment after insurance will be $3000 and if you pay it *now* we’ll give you a 20% discount!” But then the insurance says we actually owe $750, which is quite a bit les.

I’m pretty irritated by the unpredictable nature of medical billing.

patrickza

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I'm worse when the fault is on my end. The airbnb said it was $40 a night, didn't read properly that is was $40 a night per person until it was too late and that we could have gotten a much nicer place for that amount. It greatly annoyed me!

the_fixer

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Re: Anyone else totally lose it when you're unexpectedly asked to pay more?
« Reply #10 on: January 08, 2019, 09:00:49 AM »
VRBO / Air B&B piss me off they have a few different fees hidden all of the way at the bottom,  you have to click on each rental to see how much the fees are for example cleaning fee, extra person fee and so forth.

So you see a place you like, the price seems nice and you click on it to find the price has tripled because the owner has a $175 cleaning fee and a few other fees that do not show in the price shown on the list.

Each one is different with different fees and it pisses me off so much that I am not going to use them anymore.

Then there is the internet / cable company.... Your monthly rate will be $xxx. I ask is that including all fees and taxes and they say yes but it might varry by a few dollars. Get the first bill and it is $42 more than we had discussed due to regional sports fee, broadcast fee, taxes, and all kinds if hidden stuff.

So pissed I no longer have cable with them but internet is hard to live without.



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therethere

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Re: Anyone else totally lose it when you're unexpectedly asked to pay more?
« Reply #11 on: January 08, 2019, 09:13:38 AM »
Yes, mainly medical bills.

I finally worked up the nerve to go for a preventative visit after 10 years. It should be 100% covered as it's a general annual checkup. Except, two  months later I get a $200 bill for a "New Patient Processing fee". Same happened for my other annual wellness visit. It's a damn scam.

dcheesi

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Re: Anyone else totally lose it when you're unexpectedly asked to pay more?
« Reply #12 on: January 08, 2019, 10:26:01 AM »
I'm worse when the fault is on my end. The airbnb said it was $40 a night, didn't read properly that is was $40 a night per person until it was too late and that we could have gotten a much nicer place for that amount. It greatly annoyed me!
I do get very upset with myself when I make mistakes like this. Recently I booked a hotel, picking the slightly cheaper option over the slightly nicer one (I've stayed at both before, and they're otherwise equivalent, except...). Failed to consider that the nicer place has an open parking lot, while the cheaper one is built over a small parking garage ...and we were renting a tall moving truck for the trip. D'oh! To compound the error, I didn't do my full due diligence until after the cancellation period (thought we had it figured out, but I was wrong). We ended up parking in the nicer hotel's lot, and walking to/from the other hotel a few blocks away (not ideal after a full day of moving/cleaning/driving!). I was *so* upset with myself, and kept going back over it in my mind the entire trip!

I also have a weird thing where I'm far more likely to get mad at someone else (billing company, etc.) if I suspect that it's slightly my fault. If it's 100% their fault, I'll be annoyed but probably deal with it rationally; if I think it's mostly their fault, but I did make a minor mistake somewhere (or it could be argued that way), that's when I go ballistic! Kind of embarrassing after the fact, since it's rationally less justifiable in that scenario (and sometimes it really is my fault, moreso than I was willing to admit).

tozier

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Re: Anyone else totally lose it when you're unexpectedly asked to pay more?
« Reply #13 on: January 08, 2019, 10:36:30 AM »
I’m pretty much used to “Free preventative maintenance” not being free, and receiving multiple bills after each doctor visit. But what infuriates me-and I realize this isn’t exactly the same as the examples above-is the following:

“Your oil change is only $9.99! And it comes with a free 28 point-inspection! That’s right! For absolutely FREE, we will scour every function of your vehicle for what we think might look worn, and we will tell you the grave dangers you will be in if you don’t shell out an additional $1,600 to get that gasket fixed!! That’s how much we care about you, and please do take time out of your day to fill out a survey about how we are doing!”

I just want my damn oil changed. I don’t want to sit there and repeatedly tell them “no” for everything they found possibly wrong with my vehicle, and I sure as hell don’t want to leave the place with that little voice of worry in my head whining, “but but but what if the mechanic is right??!”

freedomfightergal

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Re: Anyone else totally lose it when you're unexpectedly asked to pay more?
« Reply #14 on: January 08, 2019, 06:26:54 PM »
A couple come to mind: -

The time I took my mom for a weekend away at a nice Hotel on a special.  At check-out I noted they'd overcharged me, I got really upset and asked to speak to the manager about them not honoring the special.  They reduced my charge.  Once we were driving away I remembered I'd not booked it (wanted the suite), ooops!

I had severe chest pains, went to my Cardiologist, who checked my Insurance was in-network covered etc. After a couple of tests got the all clear but a letter followed from the Insurance company saying it wasn't covered - about $880! WTF!  I was so mad I threw it in the trash vowing to fight it till it ended up in court if necessary.  I pay a fortune in Health Insurance, a co-pay etc.  Well no one ever followed up with me, so maybe it was a scam or something.

I would always argue about the Medical Bills if necessary, they often inflate the charges on the basis of being negotiated by the Insurance company.   There are companies that do it as a service that foreign Insurance companies use, they take a % of whatever savings they get for you.

soccerluvof4

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Re: Anyone else totally lose it when you're unexpectedly asked to pay more?
« Reply #15 on: January 09, 2019, 03:15:14 AM »
Hotels and all there extra charges piss me off!

Anytime there is a service fee to use a credit card pisses me off after you just went through all the filling out of stuff.

Yes additional medical charges when you think things are covered.

Just seems more and more businesses/people try to hide things and screw you on the other end.

So i get pissed off quite often! haha....messes with my budget!

SnackDog

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Re: Anyone else totally lose it when you're unexpectedly asked to pay more?
« Reply #16 on: January 09, 2019, 06:20:19 AM »
I was more pissed off at work with vendors who uncovered accounting errors going back 2-3 years and sent us six figure invoices for services rendered which they forgot to bill us for.  Contract doesn't preclude them doing this, so we have to pay up. Wrecked my annual budget and infuriated me that idiotic vendors could not manage their books and we suffered as a result.  Didn't pay the interest, though, so I guess we came out ahead in the end.

BlueHouse

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Re: Anyone else totally lose it when you're unexpectedly asked to pay more?
« Reply #17 on: January 09, 2019, 06:40:31 AM »
Yes, and I'm starting to realize that when I "totally lose it" I end up losing more often than winning. 

I finally found a roofer that I liked, but when he told me his terms of service, I balked.  He said fine, no problem, but that's his way of doing business. so I gave in and tried to pay him the downpayment.  When I found I couldn't pay online as expected, the office guy told me they disabled the feature to pay by credit card UNLESS I WOULD PAY the credit card fee.  I flipped out and said no way.   

then I had to find another roofer. 


Askel

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Re: Anyone else totally lose it when you're unexpectedly asked to pay more?
« Reply #18 on: January 09, 2019, 01:04:01 PM »
"That'll be $7.51 sir"

"But the price tag said $6.99?"

"Well the total includes sales t..."

"Fuck off."

Maybe this wasn't what OP was referring to but seriously, I wish taxes were included in the advertised price.

Oh good, now I don't feel so bad. 

I totally lost my shit a few days ago when I stopped for gas, intending to pick up a few things and pay inside. Get inside to find "credit card machine down, ATM available sign". 

I put up a fuss about having to pay the ATM fee.  All two, maybe three bucks. 

AND NOW I JUST REALIZED I MISSED OUT ON CREDIT CARD PERKS TOO. THOSE BASTARDS!

rantk81

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Re: Anyone else totally lose it when you're unexpectedly asked to pay more?
« Reply #19 on: January 09, 2019, 03:23:06 PM »
"That'll be $7.51 sir"

"But the price tag said $6.99?"

"Well the total includes sales t..."

"Fuck off."

Maybe this wasn't what OP was referring to but seriously, I wish taxes were included in the advertised price.

Oh good, now I don't feel so bad. 

I totally lost my shit a few days ago when I stopped for gas, intending to pick up a few things and pay inside. Get inside to find "credit card machine down, ATM available sign". 

I put up a fuss about having to pay the ATM fee.  All two, maybe three bucks. 

AND NOW I JUST REALIZED I MISSED OUT ON CREDIT CARD PERKS TOO. THOSE BASTARDS!

I keep an Ally checking account with exactly $110 balance for this very reason.  Any time I need to use a foreign ATM?  I pull out $100.  The next account statement cycle, Ally reimburses me for the ATM fee.

(I use Ally for my emergency savings too -- but it would be too much hassle to use them for my primary checking, as I am already heavily ingrained with checking at another institution.)

nessness

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Re: Anyone else totally lose it when you're unexpectedly asked to pay more?
« Reply #20 on: January 09, 2019, 05:02:54 PM »
I once got a $1600 bill for labwork I thought would be covered by my insurance. After several frustrating phone calls to my doctor's office and my insurance, both of whom kept telling me there was nothing they could do, someone recommended I call the lab. The lab immediately offered to reduce my bill from $1600 to $30.

I was almost more pissed than I would have been if I'd had to pay the $1600, because I went through all that stress for nothing, and because the $1600 felt like a scam given how readily they reduced it to $30.

Askel

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Re: Anyone else totally lose it when you're unexpectedly asked to pay more?
« Reply #21 on: January 09, 2019, 07:17:20 PM »

I keep an Ally checking account with exactly $110 balance for this very reason.  Any time I need to use a foreign ATM?  I pull out $100.  The next account statement cycle, Ally reimburses me for the ATM fee.

(I use Ally for my emergency savings too -- but it would be too much hassle to use them for my primary checking, as I am already heavily ingrained with checking at another institution.)

Good idea, thanks! 

nick663

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Re: Anyone else totally lose it when you're unexpectedly asked to pay more?
« Reply #22 on: January 09, 2019, 08:42:52 PM »
I almost walked out on a car purchase while signing the papers because the finance guy told me the salesman miscalculated the tax and my "out the door" agreed to price just went up $105.  I told him the dealership was going to have to eat the cost as the agreement was on the total and he wasn't having it.

Turned out the salesman was correct and the finance guy put the wrong sales tax in (I was an out of state buyer).  Still amazed me that both of us were willing to blow up the deal over a less than 1% increase in purchase price.  In my own defense, the sales guy was being a dick about it. :)

nnls

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Re: Anyone else totally lose it when you're unexpectedly asked to pay more?
« Reply #23 on: January 09, 2019, 08:47:15 PM »
"That'll be $7.51 sir"

"But the price tag said $6.99?"

"Well the total includes sales t..."

"Fuck off."

Maybe this wasn't what OP was referring to but seriously, I wish taxes were included in the advertised price.

This annoyed me and confused me so much when I was on holiday in the USA. In Australia tax is always included, so the price you see is the price you pay.

GreenSheep

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Re: Anyone else totally lose it when you're unexpectedly asked to pay more?
« Reply #24 on: January 10, 2019, 06:30:57 PM »
"That'll be $7.51 sir"

"But the price tag said $6.99?"

"Well the total includes sales t..."

"Fuck off."

Maybe this wasn't what OP was referring to but seriously, I wish taxes were included in the advertised price.

This annoyed me and confused me so much when I was on holiday in the USA. In Australia tax is always included, so the price you see is the price you pay.

That would be so nice! I've heard that the reason we don't/can't do that in the US is that each state (and often city/county) has its own tax, plus there are specific taxes for things like alcohol and cigarettes, so it would be too complicated. I haven't been to Australia (it's on my list!), but this is one of the things I liked about Japan. What you see is what you pay -- even at restaurants, since tipping isn't a thing there.

nnls

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Re: Anyone else totally lose it when you're unexpectedly asked to pay more?
« Reply #25 on: January 10, 2019, 06:54:31 PM »
"That'll be $7.51 sir"

"But the price tag said $6.99?"

"Well the total includes sales t..."

"Fuck off."

Maybe this wasn't what OP was referring to but seriously, I wish taxes were included in the advertised price.

This annoyed me and confused me so much when I was on holiday in the USA. In Australia tax is always included, so the price you see is the price you pay.

That would be so nice! I've heard that the reason we don't/can't do that in the US is that each state (and often city/county) has its own tax, plus there are specific taxes for things like alcohol and cigarettes, so it would be too complicated. I haven't been to Australia (it's on my list!), but this is one of the things I liked about Japan. What you see is what you pay -- even at restaurants, since tipping isn't a thing there.

Tipping isnt a think in Australia either, so you see the price and thats what you pay

We have a standard 10% tax on everything nation wide so its easy for stores to put the correct price .  (except cigarettes, fuel and maybe alcohol- but they have the same amount taxed nation wide just dont know what it is)